QL 420 Printing Solution Increases Series' Capabilities, Offers Ease in Wireless Connectivity

VERNON HILLS, Ill., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a global leader in delivering printing solutions for business improvement, today announced the launch of the QL 420, a 4-inch-wide (10.2 cm) enhanced version of the popular QL 320(TM) mobile printer. Designed to withstand the rigors of warehousing and distribution environments, the new QL 420 maintains the QL series standard of ruggedness while leveraging the same QuickLink(TM) radio modules as its 3-inch (7.6 cm) counterpart. This feature enables resellers and qualified Zebra business partners to integrate customized wireless connectivity options with the QL 420 or the QL 320 in minutes.

"When we introduced the QL 320 last year customers expressed great excitement about the product's flexibility and ease of use," said Bob Danahy, Zebra's director of marketing for mobile printers. "We soon recognized the demand for a 4-inch version and developed the solution we are now proud to make available to our valued business partners and customers."

The QL 420 incorporates all the features that make the QL 320 such a popular model. Weighing about 2 lbs. (907 g), the QL 420 offers center-loading media, print speeds of up to four-inches-per-second, a long-lasting Lithium- Ion battery, and an optional LCD panel. Users also can opt for a forklift mount and fanfold bin, as the new 4-inch printer can handle fanfold materials for extended media capacity. Its rubber-infused housing and its 5-foot (1.5 m) resistance to multiple drops without the need for a separate case, make the QL 420 a perfect fit for the harshest environments, including manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, route accounting, and shipping/receiving.

The QL series offers the widest range of communications options in the industry-from cable to wireless networking. With easily interchangeable QuickLink radio modules, the printer can be configured for 802.11b wireless LAN via Symbol Compact Flash or Cisco PCMCIA and additional modules support Bluetooth(TM) protocols.

"The recent focus on data security in the retail, healthcare, and travel industries, has made it critical to support enhanced security protocols in any device connected to a network," noted Danahy. "Protecting our customers' data is critical. Zebra's QL series of mobile printers have been developed to support 128-bit WEP encryption as well as custom protocols including LEAP and Kerberos."

For more information on Zebra products or alliance programs, please call +1 800.423.0442 or visit the company's Web site, www.zebra.com .

About Zebra Technologies

Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA) delivers innovative and reliable on- demand printing solutions for business improvement and security applications in 90 countries around the world. More than 90% of Fortune 500 companies use Zebra(R)-brand printers. A broad range of applications benefit from Zebra- brand thermal bar code, "smart" label and receipt printers, and Eltron(R)- brand card printers, resulting in enhanced security, increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs, and better customer service. The company has an installed base of more than two million printers, including RFID printer/encoders and wireless mobile solutions, and also offers software, connectivity solutions, and printing supplies. Information about Zebra bar code products can be found at www.zebra.com. The company's Web site for thermal printing supplies is www.zipzebra.com .

*Bluetooth product names referenced herein are registered or unregistered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG.

All other products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.